LONDON: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson risked a fresh Brexit row on Friday after being secretly recorded predicting a “meltdown” in the negotiations, accusing some in the government of blocking the process and implying US President Donald Trump might handle it better.

In the latest indiscreet remarks from Britain’s free-wheeling top diplomat, he also revealed talks with the United States over North Korea and plans to counter Russian aggression, and mused about relations with China.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman refused to comment on the remarks, revealed by BuzzFeed News, but insisted she still had confidence in her foreign minister.

Addressing Conservative activists this week, Johnson said the government was reaching a phase in negotiations “where we are much more combative with Brussels”.

“You’ve got to face the fact there may now be a meltdown,” he said, ahead of a key EU summit at the end of June. He added, according to further quotes revealed in The Times: “Take the fight to the enemy — absolutely right. We need to — and we will.” Johnson revealed he was “increasingly admiring” of the US president, adding: “Ima­gine Trump doing Brexit.

“He’d go in bloody hard... There’d be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos. Everyone would think he’d gone mad.

“But actually you might get somewhere. It’s a very, very good thought.” At a time when eurosceptics are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with moves to stay closely aligned with Brussels, Johnson said there was a risk that Britain’s withdrawal “will not be the one we want”.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2018